Sealing ring



Sept. 20, 1938. D. w. THOMAS 2,130,701

' SEALING Rn'w Filed Sept 1, 1934 :s Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

H4 Z /OMHS ATTORNEYS Sept. 20, 1938. D; w. THIOMAS' SEALING RING 3 She etS -Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 1, 1934 INVENTOR- 04100 14 Flam/v3 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 20, 1938 I SEALING RING David W. Thomas, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor,

by mesne assignmentato Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 1, 1934, Serial No. 742,454

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-61) This invention relates to improvements in sealing rings and method of applying same. The invention has to do with steel drums or barrels of that class in which the open end of the drum terminates in an external bead, the head or cover of the drum having a flange overlying said bead with a gasket interposed between the flange and bead, and in which the seal is eifected by means of a split sealing ring of c-shaped cross section which is contracted to cam the cover flange down toward the bead and thereby to compress the gasket. Closures of this general character are illustrated in my copending-applications Serial Nos.

674,640 and 731,928, filed June 7, 1933, and June 22, 1934, respectively, which applications have since been issued as Patents Nos. 2,054,105 and 2,093,787 respectively.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of closing and fastening means of a noveltype, so positioned as to leave the top of the container entirely free and unobstructed.

Another object is the provision of a fastening or latching means which is adapted to cooperate with the rack of a rack and pinion closing means, so that the ends of the ring may be fastened together in more than one looking position.

Still another and an important object of the invention is the provision of a. new method of closing the sealing rings which is independent of any mechanism on the ring itseli,'and which simplifies the construction of the ring with a consequent reduction in costs Other objects and features of noveltywill appear as I proceed with the description of those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the upper portion of a metal drum with my preferred form of sealing ring in position thereupon.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental elevational view on a larger scale of a portion ofthe sealing ring in open position, this view being taken from the inside of the ring.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the ring in closed position, taken from the outside of the rlng.

' Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially'on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a closing tool which may be employed in connection with the invention.

Figs. 6 and '1 are fragmental plan views showing the closing tool in position on the sealing ring, Fig. 6 showing the parts in open position and Fig. '7 showing them in closed position.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the lineM of Fig. 7 and showing the parts on a larger scale in position upon a drum.

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 99 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a modified form of tion line but showing the ring in position upon a drum.

Fig. -l4 is a cross sectional detail view taken substantially on the line l4lt.of Fig. 11.

In the drawings I have illustrated at ill a steel drum or barrel having one open end that is provided, as shown particularly in Figs. 8 and 13, with an external bead ii. The head or cover l2 of the drum has a flange i3 which overlies the bead II, and a soft rubber or other gasket it is interposed between the bead H and flange 13, this gasket being compressed when the closure of the drum is completed in order to effectively seal the drum.

The compression of the gasket It and the consequent sealing of the drum are eifected by a split sealing ring i5 which is C-shaped in cross section, the upper flange of the ring engaging the flange it of the drum head and the lower flange of the ring engaging beneath the bead Ii. Since these ring flanges are curved or cam-shaped, the con- .traction of the split ring serves to draw the flange it of the drum head down toward the bead ii,

thereby compressing the gasket.

.'In the drawings I have shownmechanism on the sealing ring itself enabling an operator to close the ring. I have also shown a closing tool which can be applied to the sealing ringto close it independently of the mechanism on the ring. When the closing tool is used the closing mechanism on the sealing ring is not essential, and may be omitted if desired, but I prefer to include it in order that the container may be closed and sealed by operators not provided with the regular closing tool. In any event means for securing the ends of the sealing ring together in closed position is required. Under some of the broader aspects of the invention any suitable closing mechanism may be incorporated in the sealing ring itself, or may beomitted altogether. The preferred form of such mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 will now be described.

Near the ends of ring I5 I form vertical slits i8 and "extending upwardly from the bottom edge of the ring. The metal of the'ring beyond these slits is then bent down to form depending lips i8 and 89 which partake of the general curvature of the ring, that is to say, they lie in an imaginery cylinder struck from the axis of the drum.

To the rear oi the lip I8 I weld a rack 20 stamped from sheet metal, of somewhat heavier tached to the lip l8 has a somewhat greater vertical dimension than the remaining part of the rack in order that its upper edge may lie substantially in the same horizontal plane with the upper surface of the bottom flange of the ring l5, and therefore function as a continuation of that flange in the compression of the gasket at that point.

The curved rack 2|) is received and guided by a double-walled member 2| which is welded to the rear surface of lip IS. The member 2| has a connecting wall 22 at the top which forms a backing for the rack. This wall 22 also occupies substantially the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the bottom flange of the ring 15, and functions to compress the gasket when the ring is closed. The double-walled member 2| directly beneath the end wall 22 is curved cylindrically to conform with the lip l3 and to form a suitable curved guide for the curved rack 20. The lower part of this double-walled member may be flattened more or less, particularly as to the outer wall, as indicated in Fig. 4, where it receives a pivot pin 23 upon which is rotatably mounted a pinion 24 provided with teeth meshing with the teeth of the rack 20. Integral with this pinion 24 there is a stub lever 25 which projects outwardly beyond the double-walled member 2|. At its end it may be provided with an extra thickness of metal 26. l When it is necessary to operate the pinion for the purpose of closing the ring l5, a piece of pipe may be slipped other suitable implement, may be employed for the purpose. 2| I also mount a pawl 21 which has a single tooth 28 that is adapted to enter the space between successive teeth of the rack 20 when the ring is drawn to closed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When the pawl 21 is in such locking position it is held there by the tendency of the ring L5 to expand. However, I prefer to tie it against accidental dislodgement in the handling of the drum, and for this purpose I may provide notches 29 and 30 in the rack and pawl, respectively, for the reception of a wire tie, the ends of which may be joined by a seal if desired.

When a drum provided with the sealing ring described is ready to be closed, the expanded ring is placed over the cover l2, its upper flange resting on the flange l3 of the cover and its lower flange engaging beneath the bead ll of the drum. The pinion 24 is then revolved from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 3, whereby the ring is contracted and the gasket I4 is compressed. The pawl 21 is then swung up to the "position illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby securing the rack 20 to the double-walled member 2|, and preventing the expansion of the ring. The pressure upon the lever 25 used to' contract the ring may then be released, and a sealing wire to hold the pawl 21 in place may be applied if desired.

In Figs. 10 to 14 inclusive I have illustrated a slightly diiierent form of closing mechanism applied to the sealing ring. In this case I have shown a ring 3| of the same c-shaped cross section as ring II, provided with downwardly extending lips 32 and 33 similar in all respects to the lips l8 and lapreviously described. A curved rack 34 is welded to theinner surface of lip 32, and a double-walled member 35 is'welded to the i inner surface of the lip 33. These parts 34 and over the end of stub lever 25 in order to aii'ord sufllcient leverage for hand operation, or any 7 Between. the walls of the member 35 are the same in all essential respects as the parts 23 and 2| previously described. Between the two walls of the member 35 on a pivot pin 38 I mount a pinion or sector 31 which is provided on one side of the pivot with a stub lever 38 extending outwardly beyond the double-walled member. The outer end of this stub lever may be provided with side flanges 39, between which a suitable bar can be inserted for operating purposes.

It will be observed that the lips 32 and 33 are so formed as to be flush with each other when the ring is closed. That portion of the rack 34 which extends through the guide member 35 is necessarily spaced back from the lip 33, as indicated in Figs. 12 and 13. I take care of this by providing the necessary horizontal offset in the rack 34 directly beyond the lip 32. A corresponding oifset in the rack'2l for the ring l5 appears clearly in Fig. 6.

A pawl 40 similar to pawl 21 is employed for locking the ends of the ring 3| together in closed position. In this case I have shown perforations 4| and 42 in the rack 32 and pawl 40, respectively, for the reception of a wire tie having the same function as previously described in connection with the notches 29 and 30.

I will now describe mynew method of closing the sealing ring by means of a special tool provided for the purpose, and independently of any mechanism on the sealing ring itself. This tool consists primarily of asplit ring 43 slightly larger than the sealing ring so that it may be readily mounted upon the sealing ring in the manner indicated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. For the best results this ring shouldbe placed on the sealing ring with its split adjacent the split of the seal.- ing ring, so that when the closing ring is contracted there will be a minimum of slippage between it and the sealing ring. The closing ring should have an upper flange to rest upon the upper flange of the sealing ring, and it may have alower flange to embrace the lower flange of the sealing ring, as shown in Fig. 9, such a lower flange being desirable because it reenforces the closing ring. However, if the lower flange is used it must be removed or deflected downwardly at the ends of the ring, as indicated in Fig. 8, in order to accommodate the lips l8 and i9 or 32 and 33, as the case may be, of the sealing ring.

Any suitable lever mechanism may be provided upon ring 43 for closing the same and thereby drawing the ends of the sealing ring into closed position. That illustrated in the drawings is a lever operated rack and pinion mechanism which in some respects is similar to the rack and pinion mechanism previously described for the sealing ring, but differing from that mechanism in the respect that it is mounted entirely within the circle of the ring and occupies a position above the head of the drum when the ring is in operative position. It comprises a curved rack 44 with teeth on its inner edge, a double-walled member 45'acting as a guide for the rack and as a mounting for a pinion 4i, and a relatively long lever 41 integral with the pinion 43. The rack 44 and the double-walled member 43 are preferably welded to the upper flange of the ring 43 on opposite sides of the slit therein.

Whenadrumistobeclosedbythe use of the closing tool just described, an open sealing ring is put into position on the drum. Then the closthe closing ring together, this action also serving to draw the ends oi! the sealing ring together. The pinion 24 or 31 turns idly during such closing movement. While the operator holds the parts under tension by the lever 41, he throws the locking pawl 21 or 40 to operative position. Pressure upon the lever l1 may then be relieved and the lever swung to open the ring 43, after which the closing toolmay be removed from the drum and the locking pawl secured in position by a wire tie. The package is then ready for shipment. When the contents of the drum are to be removed, the securing wire tor the pawl is cut and removed and the pawl is pried loose with a heavy screw-driver or the like, when the ring expands in response to the pressure exerted by the compressed gasket ll. light pressure on the stub shaft of the pinion may be used to open the sealing ring still further it necessary, and it may then be removed in order to permit the removal of the drum head.

It will be observed that in both forms of sealing ring herein disclosed all operating and locking mechanism is located on the outside of the drum, leaving the space above the head clear and unobstructed. The mechanism is also positioned close to the side wall oi! the drum and beneath the sealing ring, where it is protected by the sealing ring and also by one of the rolling rings or beads 45 of the drum. When the ring 3| is in closed position the stub lever 38 stands vertically and parallel to the axis of the drum, as shown in Fig. 11. When the ring I! is closed the stub lever 25 extends substantially horizontally, but it may be bent somewhat so as to remain entirely within the circle of the ring as indicated in Fig. 4, where it is protected from damage or accidental operation.

In the foregoing description I have necessarily gone somewhat into detail in order to explain fully the particular embodiments of the invention herein illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that such detaiidisclosures are not to be construed as amounting to limitations, except as they may be included in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A closing means for steel drums or thelike, comprising a contractible split ring, a rack carried by and rigidly attached to one end of the ring extending beneath the ring and adapted when the ring is assembled upon a drum to stand on the outside of the drum, said rack having a curvature like that of the ring, a vertical pinion rotatably mounted upon the other end of the ring upon an axis fixed with respect thereto, said pinion being adapted to stand outside the drum below the top thereof, said pinion meshing with said rack, and means for turning said pinion to draw the ends of the ring toward each other.

2. In combination, a metal drum'provided at its upper end with an external bead,'a cover having a flange overlying said bead, a gasket interposed between said bead and flange, a contractible split sealing ring c-shaped in cross section embracing said bead and flange, and means for contracting said ring comprising a rack rigidly attached to one end of the ring having the same curvature as the ring and extending along the other end oi the ring beneath the same, and a pinion rotatably mounted upon the last named and of the ring meshing with said rack, said pinion being positioned beneath the rack upon an axis flxed with respect to the last named end of the ring, and

means for rotating the pinion to draw the ends of the ring together.

3. In combination, a metal drum provided at its upper end with an external head, a cover having a flange overlying said bead, a gasket interposed between said bead and flange, a'contractibie split sealing ring c-shaped in cross section embracing said bead .and flange, one end of said ring having a vertical arcuate rack attached thereto and forming an elongated extension otthe ring, said rack lying adjacent the other end of the ring when the latter is in closed position. a pinion mounted on the last named and of the ring in engagement with said rack, whereby the rotation oi the pinion acts to move the ends of the ring toward or away from closed position, and a latch pivoted on the last named end of the ring for engagement with the toothed portion of said rack to hold the ends of the ring together in closed position.

4. In a device of the character described. a split ring of channel form having upper and lower inwardly extending flanges,a toothed rack mounted on the lower flange at one free end of the ring and extending beyond thefree end thereof. a gear and lever member pivotally mounted on the other free end of said ring below the lower flange thereof for cooperative engagement with the rack to effect closing and clamping movement of mating ends,

said rack and lever member being disposed without projection beyond the outer periphery of the ring, and means on the ring for cooperating with the rack and lever mechanism to prevent opening v movement of said ring ends.

5. In a device of the character described, a split ring of channel form having upper and lower inwardly extending flanges, a toothed rack mounted on the lower flange at one free end of the ring and extending beyond the free end thereof with the same curvature as that of the ring, a gear and lever member pivotally mounted on the other free end of said ring below the lower flange thereof for cooperative engagement with the rack to eilect closing and clamping movement of the ring ends, and'means on the ring for cooperating with the rack and lever mechanism to prevent opening movement of said ring ends.

6. A closing means for steel drums or the like, comprising a split cover securing ring, a horizontal rack extending edgewise rigidly flxed to and depending from one end of the ring and extending beyond said end, said ring having the same curvature as the ring, a guide fixed to and depending' from the other end oi the ring in position to receive said rack and guide it along a circle concentric with the ring, said guide comprising a vertical pinion meshing with said rack, and means ior turning said pinion.

7. In a steel drum of the type in which there is an outwardly extending rim and a head overlapdo ping the rim with a gasket interposed between them, means for closing and sealing the drum comprising a contractible split ring with its ends in end to end relation, a curved rack concentrio with the ring,,rigidiy attached to the lower side of the ring and extending beyond one end thereof, a vertical pinion carriedby the other end of the ring and mounted to turn upon an axis flxed with respect to said end, said pinion engaging said rack, and means for turning said pinion arranged 1.

to stand in a substantially vertical position when he ring is closed.

DAVID W. THOMAS. 

